NEW DELHI — Almost four year after Pakistani terrorist Ajmal Amir Kasab along with his nine associates, all of whom allegedly belonged to Pakistani spy agency ISI-supported terror group Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT), wreaked havoc in Mumbai, the Supreme Court upheld the death penalty awarded to him by a special Mumbai court and confirmed by the Bombay High Court. Kasab is the lone surviving gunman from the 2008 Mumbai attacks in which 166 people were killed. While dismissing Kasab's petition, which was moved through senior advocate Raju Ramachandran, the two-judge bench of Justice Aftab Alam and Justice C.K. Prasad observed that Kasab was a part of the larger conspiracy for waging war against the nation and had killed several people during the attack. “In terms of loss of life and property, and more importantly in its traumatizing effect, this case stands alone, or it is at least the very rarest of rare to come before this court since the birth of the republic. Therefore, it should also attract the rarest of rare punishment,” the Supreme Court said. India's Supreme Court on Wednesday confirmed the death sentence handed down to Mohammed Kasab, one of 10 gunmen who laid siege to India's financial capital in attacks that lasted nearly three days, had appealed against the sentence claiming that he had not received a fair trial. “We are left with no option but to award death penalty,” the two judges said. “The primary and foremost offence committed by Kasab is waging war against the government of India.” After losing his Supreme Court petition, Kasab is expected to lodge a final appeal for clemency with new President Pranab Mukherjee, who has another 11 cases to consider. Only one execution has taken place in India in 15 years — that of a former security guard hanged in 2004 for the rape and murder of a 14-year-old girl. “The best possible points were put forward dispassionately on behalf of the accused,” state prosecutor Gopal Subramanium told reporters. “They have been considered and the court ultimately dismissed the appeal.” Ujjwal Nikam, who led the case against Kasab throughout the trial process, called on the death sentence to be carried out “as soon as possible. During the November 2008 attacks, heavily armed gunmen stormed targets in Mumbai including luxury hotels, a Jewish center, a hospital and a bustling train station. Kasab initially pleaded not guilty but later confessed, admitting he was one of the gunmen sent by the LeT. The prosecution produced fingerprint, DNA, eyewitness and TV footage evidence showing him opening fire and throwing grenades at the main railway station in the bloodiest episode of the attacks. “I was denied a fair trial,” Kasab said in a statement when his appeal hearing began in January. “I may be guilty of killing people and carrying out a terrorist act but I am not guilty of waging war against the state.” — Agencies
